When couples split up, it can be a nasty affair in many cases. Even those who break up amicably have a tough adjustment period to go through. Two single mothers were sick of struggling by themselves, so they came to each others’ rescue by moving in with each other. The two single moms have a not-so-conventional style of living, which has all the perks of married life, without the marriage part, nor the romance.
Single moms and besties
24-year-old Samantha Best from New Plymouth, New Zealand, had split from her partner, and father of her child. Things were not looking great for the social media influencer. She struggled financially raising her child alone. Then, after a chat with her best friend, Lauren Robinson, they decided to move in together. In May earlier this year, Samantha, and her four-year-old son Kaelin, moved into a house in Auckland with Lauren and her five-year-old daughter, Haidyn. “Lauren and I are inseparable. We moved into a house together in May this year after I decided to move back to Auckland for better work opportunities,” Samantha said.
Samantha went on to say that single moms help each other financially. This gives them the benefits that married couples get to appreciate without actually having to be married. “It’s so much easier living with Lauren. We’ve been able to split our finances and we are able to help each other with childcare if one of us is busy, the other can pick them both up from school, or if either of us need to go out the other can watch the two children.” She added: “We always know we will have a babysitter if needed as well, it’s great.”
Read: Why Are Single Women Without Children So Happy?
Wine nights aplenty
Many women dream of moving in with their besties, but few get to actualize that dream because their own families get in the way. Samantha and Lauren are single moms who live together. This includes sharing a house bank account for groceries and other expenses. but, it also means as many wine nights as they want. “I live with my best friend and we have so much fun together. We have wine nights together watching Love Island together, who wouldn’t want to live with their best friend,” she adds.
Furthermore, the single mom’s children are only one year apart in age, so they adore playing together. Samantha says they keep themselves occupied just as siblings would. “The kids keep themselves company together, but they are now like siblings – so they do bicker and that can be challenging, but that’s really it and it’s expected.’
Samantha hopes that other single moms who are struggling might learn from what she and her bestie are doing. “I hope I can inspire other people to do this and live with their friend if they are both single parents. It would help to give single mums a better life,” said Samantha. “I struggled before I moved in with Lauren. It was hard for myself and Kaelin to live on our own and live comfortably. Auckland is very expensive and I was quite lonely and scared.”
And finally, Samantha’s family are all onboard for hr choice of house mate. They do miss her because she is no longer living in New Plymouth. But, Samantha said she visits them every two weeks. “My family were so supportive when I decided to move as they knew it would be better for my career with a lot more opportunities. But they missed us and found it hard to process.”
Keep Reading: I bought a house with another single mom to share costs and maintenance. Now we have a kid paradise, with built-in babysitting, car-sharing, and a craft studio.